The Secret Country of Yourself, by Jenya T. Beachy

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Photo by Rebecca Stark

About the Author Jenya T. Beachy has been an active member of the Santa Cruz, California, community for more than twenty years, and she’s served on the Redwood Circles Council and the Board of Community Seed Earth-Spirit Fellowship. She is also the founder of the Deep Well–Great Heart Society.

To Write to the Author If you wish to contact the author or would like more information about this book, please write to the author in care of Llewellyn Worldwide, and we will forward your request. Both the author and the publisher appreciate hearing from you and learning of your enjoyment of this book and how it has helped you. Llewellyn Worldwide cannot guarantee that every letter written to the author can be answered, but all will be forwarded. Please write to: Jenya T. Beachy Llewellyn Worldwide 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125-2989 c

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Secret Countryof Yourself Discover the Powerful Magic of Your Endless Inner World

Jenya T. Beachy Llewellyn Publications Woodbury, Minnesota


The Secret Country of Yourself: Discover the Powerful Magic of Your Endless Inner World © 2017 by Jenya T. Beachy. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Edition First Printing, 2017 Book design by Bob Gaul Cover design by Shira Atakpu Llewellyn Publications is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Beachy, Jenya T., author. Title: The secret country of yourself: discover the powerful magic of your endless inner world / Jenya T. Beachy. Description: Woodbury: Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017034516 (print) | LCCN 2017044180 (ebook) | ISBN 9780738753744 (ebook) | ISBN 9780738752150 (alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Self-actualization (Psychology)—Miscellanea. | Self—Miscellanea. | Self-knowledge, Theory of—Miscellanea. Classification: LCC BF1045.S44 (ebook) | LCC BF1045.S44 B43 2017 (print) | DDC 158.1—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017034516 Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public. All mail addressed to the author is forwarded, but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the author, give out an address or phone number. Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources. Llewellyn Publications A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125-2989 www.llewellyn.com Printed in the United States of America


Acknowledgments

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would like to respectfully acknowledge those folks who’ve helped this book come into being, directly or indirectly.

Huge, brilliant, woojie thanks to: Matthew Beachy, my best beloved, teacher, poet, and king of my heart, I’m forever grateful for your love, your patience, and those not-so-tasty but very nutritious truth sandwiches. Lasara Firefox Allen, for the introductions, inspiration, wild laughs, deep love. You told me I could do it and I did it! Elysia Gallo, for taking a chance on me. Jason Mankey, who gave me the opportunity to pen a few notes for his first book, which by a weird set of circumstances led to the publishing of this one. John Mirassou, for walking beside me while Shapeshifter was being born, for being my first (and only, thus far!) initiate, and for friendship all down the line. Cora Anderson, your initiation blessing reminded me that, yes, we are here to serve. And Victor, for opening doors leading every-witch-way. T. Thorn Coyle, for setting an example. You continue to inspire. Veedub and Diana Walker, for the sense and sensibility, the ever-boisterous circles of laughter and magick, and for opening the Starry Gate for me. vii


Alison Harlow, for friendship, activism, and bringing it down to earth. Francesca de Grandis, for the dark heart of poetry. I may not have been yours, but your Work shifted everything I thought I knew about the Craft. Happydog, for kinship in general, and the name “Shapeshifter” in particular. Limnaia, for phrasing: “Clearly, your first language is Witch.” Dakini, for the Crystal Library. All my students, who were there for the inception of the Secret Country, thank you for your openness, your commitment, your insight. All my readers, who helped me tame this monstrosity of words/works into some sort of cohesive form. And from a more practical standpoint, many thanks to: Our landlords/mates, Cindy and Richard, for putting up with six months of no-chores-doing on the Farm. My Mom and Dad, for “I’ve been very lucky!” and “You make your own luck!” and the marriage of these two viewpoints in me. My children and my extended family, who have provided fodder for my greatest and most beloved lessons. I adore you all.

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Preface

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his book is for …  The seekers and the mystics, those who can’t stop finding truth everywhere: peering into the microscope, kneeling at the altar, spinning in the lodge, gazing at the stars, prostrating on the rug, dancing around the fire. The scientists and the poets, whose search for the elegant solution is guided by their desire for beauty. The believers, the unbelievers, the want-to-believers, the never-quitesure. But mostly, this book is for the curious, those for whom life (and beyond) is a great adventure meant to be engaged with a whole heart. Blessed be your unique journey. Blessed be the secret country of yourself.

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Contents

Intro 1

Part One—The Preparation One: A Worthy Endeavor 7 What Is the Secret Country of Yourself? 7 What Can You Do There? 10 How Does It Work? 11   Purging Preconceptions 14

Two: Becoming a Fit Traveler 15 Your Soul-Fire 17   The Soul-Fire Invocation 17 The Three That Are One 19   Your Talker 20   Your Fetch 22   Your Godself 24

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Your Souls Aligned 26 Life-Force, the Ha Prayer, and the Rite of Untangling 27   The Ha Prayer for Triple-Soul Alignment 28   The Untangling Rite 31 Values and Virtues 32   Making Your Core Values Pentacle 34   Running Your Values Pentacle 36 Morning Practice 38

Three: Gathering the Gear 39 Your Home Base 40 The Secret Country Starter Kit 41   Making the Altar 43 Recording for Posterity (Or Just for Yourself ) 45 Your Travelogue and Map 48   Collaging: Art for Everyone! 48   Travelogue Pages 49   Making the Map 50

Four: Inviting Alliances 53 Magickal Community 53 Guides and Guardians 56   Seeking the Ally 57 Talking to Your Tools 58

Part Two—The Expedition Five: The Sanctuary 63 Your Sacred Home 63   Ha Prayer for Integration 67 Visiting the Sanctuary 69 Sanctuary—Head, Heart, Hands 73 xii Contents


Head: What Makes You Feel Safe? 73   Heart: Songs of Fulfillment and Joy 74   Hands: Sanctuary Model/Collage 74 The Gifts of Joy and Fulfillment 74   Roadblocks to Joy and Fulfillment 76   Loving-Kindness Blessing Practice 79   Loving-Kindness Gratitude Practice 82 Dreams and Visions—The Unbidden Contact 82   Memory Play 84   Dreams and Visions Exercise 85 More Magick at the Sanctuary 86   Cleansing Bath 87   Planting Intentions 89   Sending Energy from Godself to Godself 91

Six: The Shadow House 93 Meeting the Darkness 93   The Demons: Problems with Personalities 97 Visiting the Shadow House 98 Shadow House—Head, Heart, Hands 102   Head: What Scares You? 102   Heart: Whistling in the Dark 102   Hands: Shadow House Model/Collage 102 The Gifts of Courage and Compassion 103   Seeking, Hearing, Speaking 105 The Shadows of the World 107   World Shadows 109 More Magick at the Shadow House 109   A Spell for Protection 109   A Talisman for Strength 110

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Bone-Deep Healing 111

Seven: The Temple 113 Worshipping Your Gods 113   Your Thoughts on God 116   The Compost of Your Past 117 Visiting the Temple 119 Temple—Head, Heart, Hands 121   Head: Do You Believe in God? 121   Heart: Praying to Small Gods 122   Hands: Temple Model/Collage 122 The Gifts of Guidance and Discernment 122   Trusting Your Intuition 126 The Hall of Tarot 126   The Arcane Journey 127 More Magick at the Temple 129   Cutting Ties Exercise 130   Most Powerful Allies 130   The Not-So-Silent Supper 131

Eight: The School 133 All Knowledge, Some Wisdom 133   Sharing Knowledge and Power 137 Visiting the School 137 School—Head, Heart, Hands 140   Head: Filling the Library with Books 140   Heart: You’re Wrong! Isn’t that Awesome? 140   Hands: School Model/Collage 140 The Gifts of Curiosity and Creativity 141   Thoughts vs. Thinking 144 The Library 146 xiv Contents


Mowgli and Cerridwen 147 More Magick at the School 154   A Spell for Clarity and Wisdom 155   The Council of Elders 155   Crown of Success Spell 156

Part Three—Through the Gates of Magick Nine: The Wilderness Within You 161   The Blessing of Your Senses 162 The Realm of Air: The High Mountains 166   The Gift of Knowing 166   Visiting the Realm of Air 167   Air—Head, Heart, Hands 169 The Realm of Fire: The Desert of Shifting Sands 170   The Gift of Will 170   Visiting the Realm of Fire 172   Fire—Head, Heart, Hands 174 The Realm of Water: Rivers to the Sea 175   The Gift of Daring 175   Visiting the Realm of Water 176   Water—Head, Heart, Hands 178 The Realm of Earth: Forest and Field 179   The Gift of Silence 179   Visiting the Realm of Earth 181   Earth—Head, Heart, Hands 183 More Magick with the Elements 184   Meeting the Elementals 184   A Nighttime Prayer for Protection and Good Dreams 187

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Ten: Home Again, Home Again 189 The Mysteries of Birth, Life, and Death 189 The Heart of the Cosmos and the Gift of Freedom 192   Visiting the Heart of the Cosmos 193   The Heart of the Cosmos—Head, Heart, Hands 195 The Heart of the World and the Gift of Form 196   Visiting the Heart of the World 197   The Heart of the World—Head, Heart, Hands 199 The Heart of You and the Gift of Yourself 199   Visiting the Heart of Yourself 200 More Magick from the Heart 201   Child of Earth and Sky Practice 201   A Circle of Safety for Self or Stuff 201   A Song from Heart to Heart to Heart: All the Love that Flows 203 Outro 205 Appendix A: List of Values 207 Exercises, Prayers, Practices, Spells, and Rites Index 211 Bibliography 215

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Intro

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ou walk across the deep green grass, feeling the morning dew wet on your feet and legs. The sun is warm on your shoulders. The trill of birdsong follows you as you head toward the small building that holds the keys to many a mystery. The morning is alive with possibility. As you enter the light and airy hut, you are warmly welcomed by those already seated in a circle on the floor or in comfortable chairs. Find the best place for yourself and sit. Breathe. Center. Hello beauties, and welcome to the secret country of yourself. I will be your first teacher and guide on this wonder-filled journey into your own hidden worlds. The secret country of yourself is your unique inner cosmos. The experiences you have there can change your life. You visit the secret country in your dreams and fantasies, your visions and imaginings. This course of study you are embarking on includes a series of guided meditations, a tour, if you will, of some small part of this internal landscape, along with practices and magicks that support your exploration.

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The purpose of this is three-fold: to know yourself, to heal yourself, to become all of who you are. Essentially, everything of value on this expedition is already in you. It will be such an adventure to find it! What’s my story? I’ve been walking the twisted path of the craft for over thirty years, much longer if you count back to my childhood, standing at the edge of the woods calling for the monsters to come out. In many ways, I am still doing that. In my time, I’ve had many teachers: the cycles of moon and star, the spiral of the seasons; the pattern of breath, rising and falling and rising; leaf and root and wing and song and fear and grace. I’ve also had the great good fortune to share the magick circle with many powerful and wise human teachers. I believe that each of us is here for some purpose. We are the gods that the universe invoked into the world at this time and place because we are necessary. Our task is to live according to our own deep truths, fulfilling the need of the world for our unique gifts. I am the originator of the Shapeshifter line within the Anderson Feri Tradition of Witchcraft. My lineage incorporates concepts and practices from neo-paganism, from Jane Roberts’s Seth Material, Buddhist teachings, Rumi’s poetry, and from tending the land and the animals here at my home at Dirt-Heart Farm. I consider my first language to be Witch, but I speak others as well. This is not a book about my lineage, but it is, of course, fey-touched. We will be using some material from Feri tradition as I learned it, the doctrine of the Three Souls in particular. We will also be using two foundational practices of the tradition, the Ha Prayer and the Untangling Rite (known in some circles as the Kala Rite). These are strong ways to raise, store, and send life-force energy.

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These ideas came into Feri tradition from Huna, a metaphysical system developed by Max Freedom Long based on his (sometimes flawed) understanding of native Hawai’ian spiritual teachings. I have worked with these practices for over twenty years to great effect, folding them into my own work to create new ways of relating to self and spirit. Though I do use the words gods and spirits throughout this course, I invite you to define them as it suits you: archetypes, living personalities, aspects of yourself. You might even consider that this is a great fantasy story, where the characters are believable and there is internal consistency. See these journeys as a (mostly) friendly trip into the place where ideas come from, or your own psychology. Also, because little of what we do in the secret country has anything to do with gender, I will be using the singular “they” throughout this course. I may refer to Source or All-That-Is by the names God Herself and Goddess Himself. Your experience may include beings who identify as male or female or nonbinary or beyond binary or anything else on the continuum. I prefer not to create false limitations by using gendered terminology. We are going to go to a place that is different for each traveler. I will offer you possibilities, point out hazards, and open doors. It is always up to you to step through. You have already been to the secret country many times in your life. So why should you sign on to this particular expedition? Come on this journey because you are a miracle, a golden child, a blessing to the worlds. The rich deliciousness of you is just waiting to be revealed, and you are too precious a resource to go undiscovered. Come because you want a program, an itinerary, to help you navigate the strangeness you have found. Come because you want to learn how to travel better through this enchanting place. Come because maybe your life is broken. Because you’ve been struggling with financial or romantic problems and you can’t figure out why everything keeps going wrong.

Intro 3


Or maybe because your life is already amazing and you are psyched for a new adventure! Come because you were hip-deep in a strong dream and awakened before you finished the quest. Or because you are in the middle of the biggest inspiration of your life and are having trouble clarifying the vision. Come with me because something is calling you to a deeper understanding of yourself. Something is going unfinished, unknown, unappreciated. And that mystery won’t let you rest. The call from the secret country might sound like the voice of your gods or your ancestors telling you, “Go with Ms. Jenya, now!” If you are a diviner, your tarot cards or runes may send you clues. Maybe you keep finding a certain word or phrase popping up in the books you read, the TV programs you watch, or the music you listen to. It might seem like just a weird coincidence. But maybe it’s not that simple. What if this is the language of the unseen (within you or without)? It could be a long-forgotten dream trying to get a message across the divide between conscious and unconscious. Or your guardian angel reminding you of your destiny. I’m not sure that it’s important which is more true. As a wise philosopher once said, “The most important answer is the one you believe.” (That was my husband. I had to marry a man that smart.) I look forward to helping you find your own answers.

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Part One

THE PREPARATION


One

A WORTHY ENDEAVOR

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ake a moment to stand and stretch, to look around at your setting. The walls are of cherry wood, polished to a smooth shine. There are tall builtin bookcases, full as they can be with all sorts of titles, the leather bindings and old paper giving off a warm smell that permeates the room. Through a door you can see a glimpse of a small kitchen, rosemary and sage and lavender hanging in bunches from the ceiling, fresh peaches in a hand-thrown bowl on the table. Make yourself easy here. Relax.

What Is the Secret Country of Yourself ? It’s a bright bonfire on a full-moon night. It’s a meadow shining with spring’s first sunrise. It’s a river of dreams and a mountain of adversity and the greatest story never yet told. It’s an imaginary world and another dimension and a different astral plane. I just made it up and so will you. All of these are true. 7


Simply put, the secret country of yourself is your personal sacred space within. Whenever you close your eyes, you are in your own secret country. Everything you experience that is not happening in the physical realm (which I like to call the shared reality) is happening there. Your daydreams and night dreams and wild fancies are part of it. Mythologies, ancient and modern, are part of it. When the muse calls with a song in the middle of the night, the caller ID reads “secret country.” When you receive an idea for a new theorem, the return address reads “secret country.” It’s the birthplace of inspiration. This is a new magickal technology that is as ancient as imagination, and it’s creating itself in me and you and all who care to join us. It is a spiritual practice and a religious experience; it’s a science and a craft and an art. The secret country of yourself is secret because no one else can possibly know what happens there. The lavish landscapes, the learning/praying/dancing/loving, the unique magick that is striving to be born from you each moment … these are the settings, the plots, the characters. The secret country is secret because there are no words to describe the entirety of what you will find. Will you be alone? Yes. Will you never be alone? Yes. Like cells in the body of God, organisms in the ecosystem of Gaia, or notes in the music of the spheres, you are differentiated from all others, and you resonate with all others. Every bit of you has been something or someone else. It’s so exciting! But I hear you asking, “Is the secret country really-really real?” Try this: close your eyes for a moment. See the room described at the start of this chapter. See the other folks who have come together for this teaching. See me speaking to you. You are in my classroom in the secret country in this very moment. Is it real for you? The secret country of yourself will offer you experiences that no one else may ever see or know about. This is internal reality, and yours will not

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be like everyone else’s. You are a singular creature, with your own gifts to give, which you gain and hone in your inner world. Everyone’s secret country is a little bit different, but there are commonalities. We all have something that passes for a home of light and darkness, a place for learning, a space for spiritual communion. We all hold within us aspects of the classical elements of air, fire, water, and earth. But this is only the beginning. The unexplored places within you are infinite, and once you learn how to navigate the terrain, you can spend the rest of your life exploring your own beauty. All the aspects of your life are represented there: family, home, work, spirit. The institutions you love and hate in the shared reality are also within you. You will find parts of yourself that you’ve imprisoned, that are completing advanced degrees, that are healing other parts. There is so much more to you than you can ever know. The secret country may be populated by your favorite fictional characters, or the gods of your religious path, or both. I encourage you to keep your eyes, your mind, and your heart open to receive wisdom in whatever form it appears. Guides and guardians from your personal traditions will help in your work. Gods, Orisha, Lwa, djinn, devas, faeries, and angels are some of the entities you may meet. And the secret country is a living, breathing, growing place where life goes on, even when you’re not actively paying attention. It has some qualities similar to the “mind palace,” or what one of the characters in John Crowley’s Little, Big describes as a “memory house,” with this twist: “The greatest practitioners of the old art discovered some odd things about their memory houses the longer they lived in them … it was discovered, for instance, that the symbolic figures with vivid expressions, once installed in their proper places, are subject to subtle change as they stand waiting to be called forth … also, as the memory house grows, it makes conjunctions and vistas that its builder can’t conceive of beforehand.”

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The characters continue their own journeys, meet each other, make connections, and gain experience. They love and fight and make music and art, which you may choose to bring forth into the physical realm. You are the doorway to your own secret country, the point where the two realities intersect. Most importantly, the secret country is a place where you learn to become a stronger, better person wherever you go. Understanding your value, facing your fears, connecting to your gods and spirits, and seeking knowledge all help you to act more skillfully in all areas. Spending time in the wilderness inside of you gives you new respect for the planet you live on. When you bring all your experiences together, they provide a good foundation for a life lived in service to yourself and others. Let your travels in the secret country be an inspiration to light a candle, write a letter, put your arms around a thing you love and protect it with all your fierce might.

What Can You Do There? In the secret country of yourself, you can find what lies within yourself and what lies beyond the physical realm of yourself. You can get to the invisible heart of things and connect on a deep level. You can look for the ways that you and the world intersect, in private, where you are free to experiment. You can practice things that scare you in the shared reality: having the talk with your boss or your partner, jumping off the high-dive. You can expand what is possible for you and your world. • You can gather resources and connect with guides and allies. • You can reach back to your ancestors and forward to your descendants. • You can learn to honor and celebrate yourself through your interactions with past and future selves.

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• You can run the gauntlet of deep, dark spiritual practice or dance around the fire with your animal guides. • You can experience the stillness at the center of your being. • You can look for the things that are holding you back from the life you want for yourself. • You can study with any teacher who has ever or never lived. • You can read any book, written or unwritten. You can read the book you haven’t written yet. • You can meet with the gods of your heart, the gods of your people—gods you never imagined could exist. • You can visit the realms of the elements and learn their secrets. • You can soar to the center of the universe and burrow deep in the belly of the Earth. And always you return to the shared reality. Maybe you have changed. Maybe everything has changed.

How Does It Work? The secret country of yourself course includes many different practices of exploration, enjoyment, and expression. It is designed to engage your elegant mind, your delicious animal self, and the starry crown of your divinity. In part one, we’ll go through how to get ready for whatever you might find. You’ll learn about staying centered and in harmony with yourself. You’ll gain some tools for keeping your energy up and staying clear about what’s important to you. You’ll gather accoutrements and build an altar. The travelogue and map you make will serve as a record of where you’ve been and how you were changed by being there.

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I’ll tell you what I’ve learned of this place in my years of guiding people through it. I’ll explain a bit about the locales we will visit and offer ways to connect to those places in the shared reality as well as in the inner landscape. When we are done with this section, you will have new tools and techniques to support and enrich your life, and not only in the secret country. In part two, we embark! Here you will find background information about each place you’re visiting, a guided meditation, and some suggestions for activities you can do to express the experiences you had there into the shared reality. You will also find exercises, prayers, practices, spells, and rites to help you work with these places in your daily life. Self-knowledge is awesome and even better when you turn it to practical applications! I encourage you to dedicate at least one moon cycle, from full to full, or new to new, to each locale and really dig into it. Read through the chapter first, then schedule your meditations and exercises and honor your calendar! It’s too easy to let your personal spiritual work fall by the wayside when times are busy or tough, but it’s precisely then that you most need the support that a mystical practice provides. You can work this program either alone or with others, or some of both. If you are doing this work with a group, you might take turns reading the meditations out loud. If you are doing this work alone, I encourage you to record the meditations, leaving a breath or so between sentences. This will be enough for you to sink down into the work easily. Leave space where indicated for your meanderings, and then record the final section, which brings you back safely to the shared reality. If you don’t have access to a recording device or a group to work with, you can still do the meditations—it just might take a little more focus to move into the desired trance state. There is an itinerary, of course. But it is more than a litany of locations: it’s a treasure map, a scavenger hunt, a program of spiritual development. In each of these places, you will find new challenges that offer new gifts. We go in a specific order, because I have found that this gives 12 One


a well-rounded experience of the secret country. There will be time to wander as you like among the marvels of your inner worlds, but we start with the basics. Throughout these travels, we go together, but separately. Each takes the journey to their own secret country, but none of us is truly alone. We begin with the Sanctuary, your heart’s true home, where you discover the gifts of joy and fulfillment. There you will also learn to stay open to your dreams and visions: what the night can teach you, through your slumbering self, and what your mental meanderings at any time can offer. Second, we go to visit the Shadow House. Here live all the parts of you that you’ve hidden away from the world, for fear they are too ugly or too beautiful. In the Shadow House, you gather the courage to listen with compassion to the stories of your pain or rage, as told by those aspects of you that are still suffering. Then it’s off to the Temple to connect with your gods, whatever form they take. Here you learn about guidance and discernment and how divination can create gateways through which you can step and learn from the archetypes there. You’ll also visit the Cemetery and, if you wish, commune with your ancestors of blood and spirit. Next, you continue your education at the School, where curiosity and creativity rule the day. You’ll go to the Library, and from there, into some worlds that were created by others to see what adventures you find. Have you ever wanted to run with the wolves like Mowgli or stir the Cauldron of Cerridwen? In this section you’ll practice putting yourself directly into these stories, taking the place of this character or that, and see how your understanding grows. All of this is lovely and powerful and awfully civilized! So next you head out (in!) to the wilderness where you connect with your elemental kin. You learn to rise above it all on the wings of air, gaining perspective on your hurts and healing. In the fire at your core, you find

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the transformation that allows you to move forward. From rain to river to pounding ocean, water quenches you and teaches you how to wear down or go around. Then you spend time in the realm of earth, feeling yourself solid and grounded. Finally, you rise into the heart of the cosmos, sink to the heart of the world, and come home to the blessedness that is the heart of yourself. Your past experiences in the shared reality can limit your experiences in all the worlds, unless you take steps to get outside those boundaries. So I encourage you to feed your secret country with images and stories that are unfamiliar. Travel! Experiment! Read gardening and photography magazines. Read novels, historical or not, and allow yourself time to explore the worlds presented there. Go to museums and look at paintings and sculptures and all manner of art. Travel to the mountains and the desert and the beach. Each time you go forth, go with your past held lightly in you. Bring the tools you might need. And know that the words are not the only truth; the map is not the place; the finger is not the moon.

Purging Preconceptions We can all be affected by our preconceived notions about any of these locales. It’s good to know what these notions are before you start. Take a moment now to write for five minutes or so on each of these places: Sanctuary, Shadow House, Temple, School. It is not necessary to know what I mean by those words. This exercise is meant for you to discover what you think and feel about them and to give you an opportunity to challenge those ideas, if you choose.

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Body, Mind & Spirit / Inspiration & Personal Growth

Explore the wild beauty of your soul for healing, clarity, and purpose The secret country of yourself is your unique inner cosmos, the place you visit in your dreams and fantasies. The experiences you have there reflect all that has happened and all that can happen, and when you visit your secret country with intention, you can transform your life. This book is a gateway to your secret country. It’s a tour guide for an experiential journey to your inner temple and library, your sanctuary and your shadow house. With hands-on techniques such as spells, prayers, elemental workings, guided visualizations, and shamanistic journeys, this book’s goal is to help you know yourself, heal yourself, and become more of who you are.

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Jenya T. Beachy has been exploring the old ways and forging new ones for more than twenty-five years. She’s served on the Redwood Circles Council and the board of Community Seed Earth-Spirit Fellowship. She is also the founder of the Deep Well– Great Heart Society, a service organization that focuses on increasing the flow of compassion and healing through all the worlds. Jenya lives near Santa Cruz, California, and can be found online at www.JenyaTBeachy.com. $19.99 US

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